I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8706 To amend the Act of March 4, 1913 to establish the Bureau of International Labor Affairs within the Department of Labor, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 30, 2020 Mr. DESAULNIER (for himself and Mr. WALBERG) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in ad- dition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the Act of March 4, 1913 to establish the Bureau of International Labor Affairs within the Department of Labor, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bureau of Inter- 4 national Labor Affairs Authorization Act of 2020’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8706 IH SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT. 1 The Act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 736, chapter 2 141; 29 U.S.C. 551 et seq.), is amended by adding at the 3 end the following: 4 ‘‘SEC. 12. BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS. 5 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BUREAU OF INTER- 6 NATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS.— 7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established within 8 the Department of Labor a Bureau of International 9 Labor Affairs (referred to in this section as the ‘Bu- 10 reau’). The Bureau shall include offices to carry out 11 functions related to— 12 ‘‘(A) trade and labor affairs; 13 ‘‘(B) child labor, forced labor, and human 14 trafficking; 15 ‘‘(C) international relations and economic 16 affairs; and 17 ‘‘(D) other functions and activities as des- 18 ignated by the Secretary of Labor. 19 ‘‘(2) DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY.—The Sec- 20 retary of Labor shall appoint a Deputy Undersecre- 21 tary for International Affairs to head the Bureau. 22 The Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs 23 shall continue to carry out all duties assigned to the 24 Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs as 25 of the day before the date of enactment of the Bu- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8706 IH reau of International Labor Affairs Authorization 1 Act of 2020 and other duties and functions, as ap- 2 propriate, to fulfill the mission of the Bureau. 3 ‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the Bureau 4 on and after the date of enactment of the Bureau 5 of International Labor Affairs Authorization Act of 6 2020 shall include the responsibilities and functions 7 of the Bureau on the day before the date of enact- 8 ment of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs 9 Authorization Act of 2020, and include all of its per- 10 sonnel, assets, authorities, liabilities, and other re- 11 sources, including representational funds, required 12 to support such functions. 13 ‘‘(4) MISSION.—The mission of the Bureau 14 shall be to— 15 ‘‘(A) promote a fair global playing field for 16 workers and businesses in the United States 17 and around the world by enforcing trade com- 18 mitments, strengthening international labor 19 standards, and combating international child 20 labor, forced labor, and human trafficking; 21 ‘‘(B) assist trading partners, through tech- 22 nical assistance and capacity building, in im- 23 proving working conditions, combating child 24 labor, forced labor, and human trafficking, rais- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8706 IH ing living standards, and protecting the ability 1 of workers to exercise their internationally rec- 2 ognized labor rights to promote a fair global 3 playing field for workers and businesses in the 4 United States and trade partner countries; 5 ‘‘(C) support negotiations, conduct moni- 6 toring, and administer, and engage in enforce- 7 ment of, labor commitments in trade agree- 8 ments and preference programs; 9 ‘‘(D) hire and designate labor attaches to 10 serve at United States diplomatic and consular 11 posts to assess working conditions, advance 12 worker rights, address the workplace exploi- 13 tation of children and other vulnerable popu- 14 lations, and serve as authoritative experts on 15 labor policies and practices; 16 ‘‘(E) carry out representational activities, 17 research, and other functions as designated by 18 the Secretary of Labor; and 19 ‘‘(F) implement the duties and responsibil- 20 ities assigned to the Department of Labor 21 under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 22 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), the Trade and 23 Development Act of 2000 (19 U.S.C. 3701 et 24 seq.), the United States-Mexico-Canada Agree- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 8706 IH ment Implementation Act (Public Law 116– 1 113), and other Acts, and Executive orders, as 2 appropriate. 3 ‘‘(b) GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND COOPERATIVE 4 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary of Labor may utilize funds 5 made available to the Bureau to administer or operate 6 international labor activities and provide bilateral and 7 multilateral technical assistance by or through contracts, 8 grants, cooperative agreements, and other arrangements 9 to carry out the mission and functions set forth in this 10 section. 11 ‘‘(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall 12 submit to Congress on an annual basis a report on the 13 activities of the Bureau during the previous year, includ- 14 ing— 15 ‘‘(1) activities to prevent forced and child labor; 16 ‘‘(2) support for trade agreement monitoring 17 and enforcement activities; 18 ‘‘(3) the location and activities of labor at- 19 taches; and 20 ‘‘(4) the use of funds for contracts, grants, co- 21 operative agreements and other funding arrange- 22 ments.’’. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:32 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS